• PATRONS: Did you know we've a chat function for you now? Look to the bottom of the screen, you can chat, set up rooms, talk to each other individually or in groups! Click 'Chat' at the right side of the chat window to open the chat up.
  • Love Gotmead and want to see it grow? Then consider supporting the site and becoming a Patron! If you're logged in, click on your username to the right of the menu to see how as little as $30/year can get you access to the patron areas and the patron Facebook group and to support Gotmead!
  • We now have a Patron-exclusive Facebook group! Patrons my join at The Gotmead Patron Group. You MUST answer the questions, providing your Patron membership, when you request to join so I can verify your Patron membership. If the questions aren't answered, the request will be turned down.

Death Knell for Mead Lovers Digest

Barrel Char Wood Products

Bob1016

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 24, 2012
662
3
0
Coral Springs, FL
I don't know how many of you are a part of MLD, but I'm sure you got the las test issue and are sad. I am. Just wanted to see what everyone else thinks. Dick has done a great job keeping it up, so a round of cheers!
 

mannye

Administrator
Administrator
Moderator
Oct 10, 2012
4,167
25
38
57
Miami Beach, FL
I had no idea it existed. But all the same, I'm sorry to hear about any publication going kaput. Much more so one dedicated to mead.
 

mannye

Administrator
Administrator
Moderator
Oct 10, 2012
4,167
25
38
57
Miami Beach, FL
That's what Dick Dunn wrote. It seems Gotmead has been doing such a good job it is killing MLD. I guess it's kind of like any forum vs the old BBS style
 

fatbloke

good egg/snappy dresser.....
GotMead Patron
Well gotmead might have been part of the issue in fact I suspect its more about the tech and how we interact with it..... but while I've been aware or it for some years I never, ever, saw an "if you want to receive or take part" type message or link for it.

Maybe it just needed some further digging for that, I dont know.....

What I do know, is that it can take some effort to run such a discussion group or communal mailing list........

I would hope that might be some way or place where the MLD info can be put so that such a potentially valuable source of info and guidance isn't lost to the community....
 

Bob1016

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 24, 2012
662
3
0
Coral Springs, FL
The archives are available on gotmead main site, and the MLD site. There are some real treasures on there (Dan McFreeley's posts are great, hope I spelled his name right), and Dick said that they would stay up so that's good.
But, the email list will remain hidden as Dick promised. If anyone wants to start something you can post it by emailing it, or I'll email it. And if anyone on the MLD starts something I'll post it here.
 

fatbloke

good egg/snappy dresser.....
GotMead Patron
So what are the dates for the archives ? From when to when ? Cos its piqued my interest to read some of it to understand whats changed in the time from when it was at its high point and our understanding of making meads currently...........

And when you say the mailing list will remain hidden ? I'm trying to get my head round that. Obviously a list of addresses could have potential for some to be valid etc, or of other use.

Just that I'm wondering what format the actual q & a or other items or articles might be in as some of the older ways of displaying it were a bit of a PITA to read and follow......

Hell there are still some mailing lists working like that ....... and there's no read way of following them as a threaded conversion etc.......
 

fatbloke

good egg/snappy dresser.....
GotMead Patron
http://www.gotmead.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=9&id=43&Itemid=66
Unfortunately it's a PITA to search.
He just doesn't want to release the followers email addresses.
Just looking at a few issues from each year shows how far mead making has come, and sometimes, how little it has changed.
Yeah, figured it'd be something like that. It'd be great to openly publish the lot with emails redacted....... just user or personal first used to follow threads etc.......
 

bernardsmith

Got Mead? Patron
GotMead Patron
Sep 1, 2013
1,611
32
48
Saratoga Springs , NY
I don't know how many of you are a part of MLD, but I'm sure you got the las test issue and are sad. I am. Just wanted to see what everyone else thinks. Dick has done a great job keeping it up, so a round of cheers!

I think he wrote that this was the penultimate issue - so there is one more to go - presumably with responses to the announcement of the MLD's demise. Notwithstanding Dick Dunn's point that the cider site is expanding, it seems to me that the particular architecture of the site is what likely led to its end. Is there no way for that site to become a blog or a forum using web 2 tools rather than the earlier listserv approaches?
 

Bob1016

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 24, 2012
662
3
0
Coral Springs, FL
And now, the end is here

Last MLD issue, here's Dick's final message:
As announced in the preceding digest, this is the last issue of the
Mead-Lover's Digest.

Archives of the MLD will remain available. Digests from 2013 may be found at
www.talisman.com/mead/curyr
(and will remain there in spite of not being the "current year")
Compressed archives of previous years may be found at either
www.talisman.com/mead/tarchive (tar format)
www.talisman.com/mead/zipper (zip format)
Try the tar format first; it's more compact. Linux and Mac systems handle
it properly.

No replies as to starting a new group, yet . . . ?
 

rtu

NewBee
Registered Member
Dec 1, 2013
46
0
0
Deptford, NJ
Is there any interest in perhaps culling some info out of the archives? If so, what kind of info? I took a quick look at some of the archives and looks like the format is consistent back to at least 2002.

Seems like it wouldn't be terribly difficult to parse the archives using Perl (handy scripting language used pretty regularly for certain things on Unix computers). Depending upon what people would want out of the archives, other tools may be more appropriate.

I can't promise anything as far as a time frame goes, but if there is some interest I should be able to parse the archives to get at least some useful info from them if people thinks it would be useful.
 

JamesP

Senior Member
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Dec 3, 2003
654
1
18
Brisbane Australia
Is there any interest in perhaps culling some info out of the archives? If so, what kind of info? I took a quick look at some of the archives and looks like the format is consistent back to at least 2002.
.......

There was (years ago?) a list of recipies taken from the MLD. The issue with this sort of thing is that a recipe doesn't equate to a good mead. To this end, only recipies that were said to be good were included in the list.

So, yes - Extracting the info is possible. Usefulness of the extracted info is the question.

You can of course search MLD archives using the search facilities of GotMead.

------
When I started thinking about making mead, I spent a few months reading the MLD archives to get up to speed with issues involved (BIG thanks to MLD 8) ).

One thing I noted - over the years, techniques and knowledge has developed/grown/morphed. Early mead making followed a more beer-style boiling method. Now we don't tend to follow that track so much (but some folk still do, and more power to them).

So another issue is the relevancy of the information, or handling the conflicting information/advice between old and new posts.
 

mannye

Administrator
Administrator
Moderator
Oct 10, 2012
4,167
25
38
57
Miami Beach, FL
I think fatbloke hit the nail on the head with the tech issue. That whole format just feels like when I used to log on to a BBS with my Atari ST computer.

That's not to say there isn't probably a lot of fantastic information on there. Not to mention just the historical stuff. I recently found all the booklets my LHBS from the late 80's (now long gone) and had a great time just leafing though them. It took me back to that first batch with (5 cups!) of corn sugar and "light American" extract.
 

schlapppy

NewBee
Registered Member
Feb 28, 2010
287
2
0
Cranberry Twp., PA
Is there any interest in perhaps culling some info out of the archives? If so, what kind of info? I took a quick look at some of the archives and looks like the format is consistent back to at least 2002.

Seems like it wouldn't be terribly difficult to parse the archives using Perl (handy scripting language used pretty regularly for certain things on Unix computers). Depending upon what people would want out of the archives, other tools may be more appropriate.

I can't promise anything as far as a time frame goes, but if there is some interest I should be able to parse the archives to get at least some useful info from them if people thinks it would be useful.

Let me know if you are willing to do this, otherwise I'll take a crack at it. I'm sure it'd be super useful and educational.
 

rtu

NewBee
Registered Member
Dec 1, 2013
46
0
0
Deptford, NJ
Let me know if you are willing to do this, otherwise I'll take a crack at it. I'm sure it'd be super useful and educational.

I'll give it a shot. What would you think would be useful to look for or do with the data? Pulling entries into conversations would be one obvious one. Perhaps trying to find recipes or technique info, not sure how to parse that out, but I'll see what I can think of.
 
Barrel Char Wood Products

Viking Brew Vessels - Authentic Drinking Horns